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1
- STATE HI- TiRICA-L
. CIST7
HITT & LOWHY T. 7. --' SP. V
COLUMBIA, Wi. 652; I
. 74th Year No. 237 Good Morning! It's Tuesday, June 22, 1982 2 Sections 12 Pages 2i Cents
This courtroom drawing by Freda Reiter of ABC News shows
John W. Hinckley Jr. wiping tears from his eyes as a Washing-ton,
D. C., jury finds him innocent in the shooting of President
Reagan and three other men. Hinckley was ordered hospital-ized
for psychiatric testing.
JOHN W. HINCKLEY JR.
Innocent by reason of insanity
WASHINGTON ( UPI) A federal
jury found John W. Hinckley Jr. in-nocent
by reason of insanity Monday
in the shooting attack that nearly
killed President Reagan and
crippled White House press secre-tary
Jim Brady.
Hinckley, whose exploding bullets
also cut down a policeman and a Se-cret
Service agent, was remanded to
the custody of U. S. marshals and
will be taken within days to St. Eliza-beth's
mental institution in Washing-ton
for an indefinite period. "
The 27- year-- old defendant clasped
his. hands, then wiped tears from his
eyes as UJS. District Judge Barring- to- n
Parker read the verdict for each
of the 13 criminal counts stemming
from the shooting spree outside a
Washington hotel.
" Not guflty by reason of insanity,"
the judge repeated, again and again.
The verdict was a shocking and
dramatic end to a 15- mo- nth legal
battle that cost more than $ 3 million.
The crime itself witnessed by mil-lions
through television replays
was never at issue, only Hinckley's
state of mind.
It was the first time in ISO years
that a jury has acquitted a presi-dential
assailant on insanity
grounds. Hinckley's complex de-fense
for the eight- wee- k trial cost
about $ 1 million and the jury's deci-sion
is certain to trigger new contro-versy
over the use of the insanity de-fense.
Hinckley's father, Colorado oil-man
Jack Hinckley, put his hand on
his head and his mouth dropped open
ilk astonishment. Then the elder
Hinckley, a religious man, bowed his
head as though to pray.
Hinckely's mother, JoAnn, burst
into tears and hugged her husband
joyously until a federal marshal
moved in to quiet her.
Parker said the verdict was
reached at 5: 20 pan. CDT, after
nearly 25 hours of deliberation. It
was announced in court at 6: 50 p. m.
CDT.
The jury spent four days weighing
the evidence before delivering the
verdict in the first trial in 80 years of
' a man charged with shooting an
American president.
The White House had no immedi-ate
comment, nor did the Justice De-partment
or the prosecution team.
Sarah Brady, reached by tele-phone
as the family was sitting down
to dinner, said they had heard the
verdict, " but we're justnot going to
make any comment.' '
The wife of Secret Service agent
Timothy McCarthy hit in the ab-domen
by one of Hinckley's six shots
said the family would not com-ment.
Police officer Thomas Delahanty,
now retired on disability after suf-fering
a bullet wound near the spinal
cord, " doesn't want to make a
statement," a friend told inquiring
reporters.
The jury foreman, 22- year-- old
Lawrence H. Coffey, was reticent
when he returned exhausted to his
home, accompanied by a U. S.
marshal.
" We made a decision," he said
when asked about the deliberations.
Merry anna Swartz, 31, the only
white on the jury, said, " Sorry, no
comment, no comment," as she ar-rived
home. Other jurors also of-fered
" no comments" or could not
be reached.
Hinckley stood and faced the jury
as foreman Coffey passed the enve-lope
containing the verdict to the
judge. As Parker read the verdict,
Hinckley heaved a deep sigh, his
hands quivering.
Last Thursday, in handing the
case to the jury, the judge told the
panel that to find Hinckley guilty, it
must conclude '' beyond a reasonable
doubt" that he was sane on the day
of the shooting.
One of Hinckley's lawyers, Grego-ry
Craig, broke into a grin when the
verdict was delivered. If convicted,
Hinckley likely would have gone to
prison for life.
Parker set a hearing for Hinckley
for July 12, and sternly ordered that
( See HINCKLEY, Page 8A)
Shootings cast a shadow
upon Lyon Street house
Columbia man murdered Sunday
By Yves Colon and SX. Wykes
Mfesourian staff writers
Lyon Street on the first day of summer was a
life- as- usu- al picture, with children playing and
residents going about their business.
Yet the green and yellow house at 602 Lyon St
was dark and quiet Monday. No sign of life stirred
behind the broken windows; no children played in
the dirt front yard.
In the early morning hours of Sunday. Paul
Dean' Lewis, 32, of 419 Hirth Ave.,, was shot to
death inthatfront yard. v-- -:
Columbia police have charged Ronald Monroe,
42, of 1011 Madison St, with first- degre- e assault in
connection with Lewis' death.
The shooting was the second at the house, a
house known by police as the scene of gambling
and after- hou- rs drinking. Last year a Kansas City
man was wounded there, but would not testify as
to the identity of his assailant
Acting Police Chief Mike Sanford said Monday
the department had had two choices regarding ac-tivities
at the house: Conduct an armed raid or in-filtrate
with undercover officers.
He feared loss of life with the first option and
said the department does not have the manpower
for the second.
Behind- thes- e facts and figures is the clouded
story of two men Lewis and Monroe.
A witness to Lewis' death tells of gambling, a
fight and a grudge between the two men.
A neighbor tells of heavy traffic on the street
-- and of being awakened by the shot. Another- adds- ,
" You shouldn't gamble more than you can afford
to lose."
No one seems to know much about Paul Dean
Lewis. He grew up in Auzvasse, Mo., joined the
U. S. Army and served in Vietnam. Shortly after
his return from Vietnam, Lewis separated from
his wife. ... .... ,
A childhood friend of Lewis' says: " Paul was al-ways
into something. He was living life in the fast
lane . . . always on the edge. When you do that,
you got to face up to the consequences."
His sister- in- la- w says: " He had dreams of mov-ing
to Reno, Nev., but he never made it"
Ronald Monroe as a child and teenager was
characterized by two prominent members of Co-lumbia's
black community. -
" I've known him all his life," says Sterling Rus-sell.
" He was in my Sunday School class and sang
beautifully. He was just so bright in understand-ing
the Bible and asking questions.
" It's a thing like I just can't believe. It's got to
be a nightmare."
George Brooks, financial aids director, at the
University, knew him best when Monroe was a
ty
x 4 f " i j Iwa. LmtI Cfl 1 " I
Early Sunday, Paul Dean Lewis was shot
to death in the front yard of the house at
602 Lyon St. Columbia police say the
house is the scene of gambling and after- hour- s
drinking. Last year a Kansas City
man was wounded there.
high school student Brooks coached him in foot-ball
and basketball. Monroe lettered in both
sports.
" He was a real scrapper, but I had never known
him to be a troublemaker in any fashion." Brooks
. says Monroe had given up singing with a jazz
group to devote more time to his church.
" I was thinking that he was headed for the'muP
istry," Brooks says.
Monroe married, divorced and is raising four
( See ARGUMENT, Page 8A)
Farm mishap kills Sturgeon boy
By Ted Griggs
Misaoorian staff writer
. STURGEON A l& year- ol- d boy
died Monday when the tractor he
was driving hit . a tree stump and
overturned.
. Jimmy Briscoe, son of. Mary and
John Briscoe, Route 1, died' instantly
of head injuries suffered when the
John Deere tractor he was using to
rake hay rolled on top of him, Boone
County Coroner Dr. Jay Dix said.
According to his father, the boy
was working for a neighboring farm-er
on Route V outside Sturgeon when
the accident occurred.
" The last couple of years,' he's
been driving the tractors," said John
Briscoe Monday night " He worked
for several farmers around here?'
A 14- year-- old friend, Earl Ander- son.- of
Sturgeon, said he saw an am
bulance and other emergency vehi-cles
in the area about noon.
. The Briscoe boy, one of seven chil-dren,
would have been a senior at
Sturgeon High School this fall, his
mother said.
" He was a quiet boy, easy to get
along with," she said. " He was the
quietest one of the seven."
- Several members of the family
commented on how hard he worked.
His parents pointed to a wooden pic-nic
table that he had made in shop
class at school.
" He liked to work with his hands,"
. said John Briscoe. " He took welding
. in school,. and three years ago he
won first prize at the Boone County
Fair and the state fair for a wooden
gunrack he made." . .
Sixteen- year- ol- d Carl Davis said
he had known Jimmy Briscoe since
kindergarten.
" I was his best friend," Davis
said. " We went fishing together, and
Fd ride with him to the baseball .
games in Sturgeon. Just the other
day we were up at the ball game
scarin' people with a rubber snake."
Siteven Briscoe remembers his old-er
brother as " kind, generous, and
he liked to work all the time. He did
stuff Dad never even asked him to
do. You hardly ever could stop him
from working. But whenever I
needed him, he was always right
there."
Patty Vinyard; 18, the boy's sister,
blinked back tears Monday night as
she said her brother would have cel-ebrated
his 17th birthday next
month.
" He was special," she said. " I
loved him very much, and hell al-ways
be with me."
Jimmy Briscoe
Pictured at age 15
Superintendent
presents ' tight'
school budget
By Andy Chabra
Missourian staff writer
Forced to close an $ 800,000 budget
gap, Columbia School Superinten-dent
Russell Thompson Monday pre-sented
a $ 29.1 million budget to the
Board of Education.
Russell characterized the budget
as the " tightest I have ever put to-gether."
The budget still must be reworked,
however, to include the Midway
Heights School District, which the
board officially annexed Monday.
To close the gap, Thompson said
the board would have to reduce non- teachi- ng
staff, raise school lunch
prices by 5 cents, and hold the line
on school supplies, equipment and
repairs.
Thompson had to give the non- teachi- ng
staff a salary increase of 10
percent, which was mandated by the
board. But because of the the budget
shortfall, he also had to call for the
reduction of a considerable number
of non- teachi- ng staff, amounting to a
savings of about $ 130,000. The reduc-tion
also will eliminate some super-visory
positions.
Positions first will be eliminated
by attrition, Thompson explained.
Further cuts will be determined on a
school- by- scho- ol basis with supervi-sors
having the option of cutting oth-er
expenses or eliminating non- teachi- ng
positions.
After Thompson presented the
highlights of the budget, the board
called for a special meeting Friday
to pass the final version.
Thompson said the main problems
in the budget were caused by in-creases
in fuel prices, utilities,
transportation costs and non- certifi- ed
staff salaries.
Fuel, gas and electric bills this
year rose 35 to 40 percent above the
IS percent that Thompson had bud-geted.
Transportation costs in-creased
because bus ridership rose
by 400 students.
The problems came as no suprise
to the board. " We have been bring-ing
isolated reports to the board,"
Thompson said. " What you have
now is a summary of the past seven
to eight months."
Thompson said he hoped he could
work in Midway's budget without
causing a significant negative im-pact.
On June 8, Midway voters ap-proved
annexation 344- 9- 2 after re-jecting
an increase in the tax levy of
about $ 1.50, which would have made
the district one of the four highest in
the state.
Thompson had worked into the
budget a 10 percent salary increase
for teachers, a $ 2 a day increase for
substitute teachers ' bringing their
pay to $ 34 a day and the retention
of the English as a second language
and the gifted child programs.
Thompson said the failure to in-crease
the supply budget was " in es-sence
a reduction because of infla-tion."
Not increasing the heating
and plumbing repair budget will be
" extremely difficult to live with," he
added.
Also in the budget was a 3- c- ent in-crease
in the school lunch program,
which Thompson said suffered from
a lack of student participation, and a
15 percent increase in the cost of
health insurance.
Because of the increase in the in-surance
cost the district again will
explore the possibility of becoming
a self- insur- er, Thompson said. That
should save the district money, he
added.
The board did receive some good
news: an $ 800,000 increase in taxes
because of revaluation, an extra
$ 175,000 from the state for transpor-tation
because of increased ridership
on the school bus system, an extra
$ 292,000 from the cigarette tax, and .
a $ 500,000 increase in interest earned
on money the board keeps in the
bank.
ERA: Born 1972, Died 1982
By Clay F. Richards
UPI political writer
A decade ago, Congress passed the Equal
Rights Amendment and sent it to the states for
ratification.
Now it is dead three states shy of approv-al.
The Florida Senate Monday defeated ERA
for the fifth time spelling the doom of the
amendment a full nine days before the official
ratification deadline.
A determined effort by '' new right" conser-vatives
beat a multimillion- doUa- r campaign of
the ferninistrnovernent to aW this 24word sen-tence
to the Constitution:
" Equality of rights under the law shall not
be denied or abridged by the United States or
by any state on account of sex."
Defeat of the ERA came despite opinion
polls showing its overwhelming support. The
Lou Harris poll in May showed 63 percent sup-ported
ERA nationwide and even in the
more conservative South it was backed by 5&
. Language that feminists said would bring
women the equality they have been denied for
Insight
200 years was interpreted by conservatives to
mean women would have to fight in combat
and share public toilets with men.
Supporters said the amendment was needed
to overturn thousands of state and federal laws
that discriminate against women. Opponents
said it would destroy the traditional family
fabric in America .
With deadline for ratification June 30, eleven-th-
hour drives failed in Florida, North Caro-lina,
Oklahoma and Illinois. In the rotunda of
the state capitol in Springfield, 111., seven ERA
supporters have waged a hunger strike since
May 28.
With 35 of the 33 states ratifying the amend-ment
ERA died for want of nine legislative
votes.
Three votes would have prevented it from '
being tabled in the North Carolina Senate.
Four vote switches would have brought victory
in the Oklahoma Senate. Twice it was defeated
by two votes in the Florida Senate. It won a
majority in Illinois, but there a three- fift- hs
vote is required.
The defeat of ERA was almost single- handedl- y
the work of one woman, Phyllis Schlafly,
an Alton, Bl., housewife and lawyer.
The ERA was roaring toward approval no
one considered' it offensive until Schlafly
took out after it in her monthly newsletter.
Her newsletter was circulated among Okla-homa
legislators, and that state became the
first to reject ERA.'
Organizing her Eagle Forum, Schlafly blan-keted
the nation testifying at legislative hear-ings
against ERA. She stopped the ratification
drive dead in its tracks.
On Jan. 24, 1977, Indiana became the 35th
and last state to ratify ERA. Congress ex-tended
the original March 22, 1979, deadline for
ratification to June 30, 1882. ' On June 30, Eagle Forum is holding a party
to " celebrate" the death of ERA. The party
will feature a veritable " who's who" of the
" new right"
On July 1, feminist groups will stage rallies
to launch a new ratification drive.
Reps. Margaret Heckler, R- Ma- ss., and Pat-ricia
Schroeder, D- Col- o., who head the Con--.
gressional Caucus for Women's Issues, and
Rep. Don Edwards, D- Cal- if., sponsor of the
amendment a decade ago, have said they will
reintroduce ERA and start the process all over
But it is unlikely a new ERA could get the
two- third- s approval needed in the Republican- controlle- d
Senate.
Eleanor Smeal, who as president of the Na-tional
Organization for Women has been rais-ing
about $ 1.3 million a month this year for the
ERA ratification battle, said NOW will contin-ue
the fight. The immediate goal will be to de-feat
legislators in November who voted
against ERA.
" You are creating a climate of injustice that
will make all women seek to replace you," Ms.
Smeal warned Illinois House Speaker George
- Ryan, who engineered the death of ERA in that
state.
But even in defeat, supporters believe the 10- ye- ar
ratification drive has had a major impact
on the role of women in America.
" We have learned so much in 10years" that
simply is not going to be lost" said Dorothy
. Ridings, head of the League of Women Voters.
I
today
Noon Woodhaven Bell Choir
concert, Ninth and Walnut
free.
4 p. m. Columbia Civic Band
concert Nifong Park, free.
7: 36 p. m. " A Midsummers
Night's Dream," Maplewood
Barn Community Theater, Ni-fong
Park.
Index Business . 7A
Classified - 3-
- tB
Comics CA
Opinion 4A
People .......... - ..... SA
Sports 1-- 2B

1
- STATE HI- TiRICA-L
. CIST7
HITT & LOWHY T. 7. --' SP. V
COLUMBIA, Wi. 652; I
. 74th Year No. 237 Good Morning! It's Tuesday, June 22, 1982 2 Sections 12 Pages 2i Cents
This courtroom drawing by Freda Reiter of ABC News shows
John W. Hinckley Jr. wiping tears from his eyes as a Washing-ton,
D. C., jury finds him innocent in the shooting of President
Reagan and three other men. Hinckley was ordered hospital-ized
for psychiatric testing.
JOHN W. HINCKLEY JR.
Innocent by reason of insanity
WASHINGTON ( UPI) A federal
jury found John W. Hinckley Jr. in-nocent
by reason of insanity Monday
in the shooting attack that nearly
killed President Reagan and
crippled White House press secre-tary
Jim Brady.
Hinckley, whose exploding bullets
also cut down a policeman and a Se-cret
Service agent, was remanded to
the custody of U. S. marshals and
will be taken within days to St. Eliza-beth's
mental institution in Washing-ton
for an indefinite period. "
The 27- year-- old defendant clasped
his. hands, then wiped tears from his
eyes as UJS. District Judge Barring- to- n
Parker read the verdict for each
of the 13 criminal counts stemming
from the shooting spree outside a
Washington hotel.
" Not guflty by reason of insanity,"
the judge repeated, again and again.
The verdict was a shocking and
dramatic end to a 15- mo- nth legal
battle that cost more than $ 3 million.
The crime itself witnessed by mil-lions
through television replays
was never at issue, only Hinckley's
state of mind.
It was the first time in ISO years
that a jury has acquitted a presi-dential
assailant on insanity
grounds. Hinckley's complex de-fense
for the eight- wee- k trial cost
about $ 1 million and the jury's deci-sion
is certain to trigger new contro-versy
over the use of the insanity de-fense.
Hinckley's father, Colorado oil-man
Jack Hinckley, put his hand on
his head and his mouth dropped open
ilk astonishment. Then the elder
Hinckley, a religious man, bowed his
head as though to pray.
Hinckely's mother, JoAnn, burst
into tears and hugged her husband
joyously until a federal marshal
moved in to quiet her.
Parker said the verdict was
reached at 5: 20 pan. CDT, after
nearly 25 hours of deliberation. It
was announced in court at 6: 50 p. m.
CDT.
The jury spent four days weighing
the evidence before delivering the
verdict in the first trial in 80 years of
' a man charged with shooting an
American president.
The White House had no immedi-ate
comment, nor did the Justice De-partment
or the prosecution team.
Sarah Brady, reached by tele-phone
as the family was sitting down
to dinner, said they had heard the
verdict, " but we're justnot going to
make any comment.' '
The wife of Secret Service agent
Timothy McCarthy hit in the ab-domen
by one of Hinckley's six shots
said the family would not com-ment.
Police officer Thomas Delahanty,
now retired on disability after suf-fering
a bullet wound near the spinal
cord, " doesn't want to make a
statement," a friend told inquiring
reporters.
The jury foreman, 22- year-- old
Lawrence H. Coffey, was reticent
when he returned exhausted to his
home, accompanied by a U. S.
marshal.
" We made a decision," he said
when asked about the deliberations.
Merry anna Swartz, 31, the only
white on the jury, said, " Sorry, no
comment, no comment," as she ar-rived
home. Other jurors also of-fered
" no comments" or could not
be reached.
Hinckley stood and faced the jury
as foreman Coffey passed the enve-lope
containing the verdict to the
judge. As Parker read the verdict,
Hinckley heaved a deep sigh, his
hands quivering.
Last Thursday, in handing the
case to the jury, the judge told the
panel that to find Hinckley guilty, it
must conclude '' beyond a reasonable
doubt" that he was sane on the day
of the shooting.
One of Hinckley's lawyers, Grego-ry
Craig, broke into a grin when the
verdict was delivered. If convicted,
Hinckley likely would have gone to
prison for life.
Parker set a hearing for Hinckley
for July 12, and sternly ordered that
( See HINCKLEY, Page 8A)
Shootings cast a shadow
upon Lyon Street house
Columbia man murdered Sunday
By Yves Colon and SX. Wykes
Mfesourian staff writers
Lyon Street on the first day of summer was a
life- as- usu- al picture, with children playing and
residents going about their business.
Yet the green and yellow house at 602 Lyon St
was dark and quiet Monday. No sign of life stirred
behind the broken windows; no children played in
the dirt front yard.
In the early morning hours of Sunday. Paul
Dean' Lewis, 32, of 419 Hirth Ave.,, was shot to
death inthatfront yard. v-- -:
Columbia police have charged Ronald Monroe,
42, of 1011 Madison St, with first- degre- e assault in
connection with Lewis' death.
The shooting was the second at the house, a
house known by police as the scene of gambling
and after- hou- rs drinking. Last year a Kansas City
man was wounded there, but would not testify as
to the identity of his assailant
Acting Police Chief Mike Sanford said Monday
the department had had two choices regarding ac-tivities
at the house: Conduct an armed raid or in-filtrate
with undercover officers.
He feared loss of life with the first option and
said the department does not have the manpower
for the second.
Behind- thes- e facts and figures is the clouded
story of two men Lewis and Monroe.
A witness to Lewis' death tells of gambling, a
fight and a grudge between the two men.
A neighbor tells of heavy traffic on the street
-- and of being awakened by the shot. Another- adds- ,
" You shouldn't gamble more than you can afford
to lose."
No one seems to know much about Paul Dean
Lewis. He grew up in Auzvasse, Mo., joined the
U. S. Army and served in Vietnam. Shortly after
his return from Vietnam, Lewis separated from
his wife. ... .... ,
A childhood friend of Lewis' says: " Paul was al-ways
into something. He was living life in the fast
lane . . . always on the edge. When you do that,
you got to face up to the consequences."
His sister- in- la- w says: " He had dreams of mov-ing
to Reno, Nev., but he never made it"
Ronald Monroe as a child and teenager was
characterized by two prominent members of Co-lumbia's
black community. -
" I've known him all his life," says Sterling Rus-sell.
" He was in my Sunday School class and sang
beautifully. He was just so bright in understand-ing
the Bible and asking questions.
" It's a thing like I just can't believe. It's got to
be a nightmare."
George Brooks, financial aids director, at the
University, knew him best when Monroe was a
ty
x 4 f " i j Iwa. LmtI Cfl 1 " I
Early Sunday, Paul Dean Lewis was shot
to death in the front yard of the house at
602 Lyon St. Columbia police say the
house is the scene of gambling and after- hour- s
drinking. Last year a Kansas City
man was wounded there.
high school student Brooks coached him in foot-ball
and basketball. Monroe lettered in both
sports.
" He was a real scrapper, but I had never known
him to be a troublemaker in any fashion." Brooks
. says Monroe had given up singing with a jazz
group to devote more time to his church.
" I was thinking that he was headed for the'muP
istry," Brooks says.
Monroe married, divorced and is raising four
( See ARGUMENT, Page 8A)
Farm mishap kills Sturgeon boy
By Ted Griggs
Misaoorian staff writer
. STURGEON A l& year- ol- d boy
died Monday when the tractor he
was driving hit . a tree stump and
overturned.
. Jimmy Briscoe, son of. Mary and
John Briscoe, Route 1, died' instantly
of head injuries suffered when the
John Deere tractor he was using to
rake hay rolled on top of him, Boone
County Coroner Dr. Jay Dix said.
According to his father, the boy
was working for a neighboring farm-er
on Route V outside Sturgeon when
the accident occurred.
" The last couple of years,' he's
been driving the tractors," said John
Briscoe Monday night " He worked
for several farmers around here?'
A 14- year-- old friend, Earl Ander- son.- of
Sturgeon, said he saw an am
bulance and other emergency vehi-cles
in the area about noon.
. The Briscoe boy, one of seven chil-dren,
would have been a senior at
Sturgeon High School this fall, his
mother said.
" He was a quiet boy, easy to get
along with," she said. " He was the
quietest one of the seven."
- Several members of the family
commented on how hard he worked.
His parents pointed to a wooden pic-nic
table that he had made in shop
class at school.
" He liked to work with his hands,"
. said John Briscoe. " He took welding
. in school,. and three years ago he
won first prize at the Boone County
Fair and the state fair for a wooden
gunrack he made." . .
Sixteen- year- ol- d Carl Davis said
he had known Jimmy Briscoe since
kindergarten.
" I was his best friend," Davis
said. " We went fishing together, and
Fd ride with him to the baseball .
games in Sturgeon. Just the other
day we were up at the ball game
scarin' people with a rubber snake."
Siteven Briscoe remembers his old-er
brother as " kind, generous, and
he liked to work all the time. He did
stuff Dad never even asked him to
do. You hardly ever could stop him
from working. But whenever I
needed him, he was always right
there."
Patty Vinyard; 18, the boy's sister,
blinked back tears Monday night as
she said her brother would have cel-ebrated
his 17th birthday next
month.
" He was special," she said. " I
loved him very much, and hell al-ways
be with me."
Jimmy Briscoe
Pictured at age 15
Superintendent
presents ' tight'
school budget
By Andy Chabra
Missourian staff writer
Forced to close an $ 800,000 budget
gap, Columbia School Superinten-dent
Russell Thompson Monday pre-sented
a $ 29.1 million budget to the
Board of Education.
Russell characterized the budget
as the " tightest I have ever put to-gether."
The budget still must be reworked,
however, to include the Midway
Heights School District, which the
board officially annexed Monday.
To close the gap, Thompson said
the board would have to reduce non- teachi- ng
staff, raise school lunch
prices by 5 cents, and hold the line
on school supplies, equipment and
repairs.
Thompson had to give the non- teachi- ng
staff a salary increase of 10
percent, which was mandated by the
board. But because of the the budget
shortfall, he also had to call for the
reduction of a considerable number
of non- teachi- ng staff, amounting to a
savings of about $ 130,000. The reduc-tion
also will eliminate some super-visory
positions.
Positions first will be eliminated
by attrition, Thompson explained.
Further cuts will be determined on a
school- by- scho- ol basis with supervi-sors
having the option of cutting oth-er
expenses or eliminating non- teachi- ng
positions.
After Thompson presented the
highlights of the budget, the board
called for a special meeting Friday
to pass the final version.
Thompson said the main problems
in the budget were caused by in-creases
in fuel prices, utilities,
transportation costs and non- certifi- ed
staff salaries.
Fuel, gas and electric bills this
year rose 35 to 40 percent above the
IS percent that Thompson had bud-geted.
Transportation costs in-creased
because bus ridership rose
by 400 students.
The problems came as no suprise
to the board. " We have been bring-ing
isolated reports to the board,"
Thompson said. " What you have
now is a summary of the past seven
to eight months."
Thompson said he hoped he could
work in Midway's budget without
causing a significant negative im-pact.
On June 8, Midway voters ap-proved
annexation 344- 9- 2 after re-jecting
an increase in the tax levy of
about $ 1.50, which would have made
the district one of the four highest in
the state.
Thompson had worked into the
budget a 10 percent salary increase
for teachers, a $ 2 a day increase for
substitute teachers ' bringing their
pay to $ 34 a day and the retention
of the English as a second language
and the gifted child programs.
Thompson said the failure to in-crease
the supply budget was " in es-sence
a reduction because of infla-tion."
Not increasing the heating
and plumbing repair budget will be
" extremely difficult to live with," he
added.
Also in the budget was a 3- c- ent in-crease
in the school lunch program,
which Thompson said suffered from
a lack of student participation, and a
15 percent increase in the cost of
health insurance.
Because of the increase in the in-surance
cost the district again will
explore the possibility of becoming
a self- insur- er, Thompson said. That
should save the district money, he
added.
The board did receive some good
news: an $ 800,000 increase in taxes
because of revaluation, an extra
$ 175,000 from the state for transpor-tation
because of increased ridership
on the school bus system, an extra
$ 292,000 from the cigarette tax, and .
a $ 500,000 increase in interest earned
on money the board keeps in the
bank.
ERA: Born 1972, Died 1982
By Clay F. Richards
UPI political writer
A decade ago, Congress passed the Equal
Rights Amendment and sent it to the states for
ratification.
Now it is dead three states shy of approv-al.
The Florida Senate Monday defeated ERA
for the fifth time spelling the doom of the
amendment a full nine days before the official
ratification deadline.
A determined effort by '' new right" conser-vatives
beat a multimillion- doUa- r campaign of
the ferninistrnovernent to aW this 24word sen-tence
to the Constitution:
" Equality of rights under the law shall not
be denied or abridged by the United States or
by any state on account of sex."
Defeat of the ERA came despite opinion
polls showing its overwhelming support. The
Lou Harris poll in May showed 63 percent sup-ported
ERA nationwide and even in the
more conservative South it was backed by 5&
. Language that feminists said would bring
women the equality they have been denied for
Insight
200 years was interpreted by conservatives to
mean women would have to fight in combat
and share public toilets with men.
Supporters said the amendment was needed
to overturn thousands of state and federal laws
that discriminate against women. Opponents
said it would destroy the traditional family
fabric in America .
With deadline for ratification June 30, eleven-th-
hour drives failed in Florida, North Caro-lina,
Oklahoma and Illinois. In the rotunda of
the state capitol in Springfield, 111., seven ERA
supporters have waged a hunger strike since
May 28.
With 35 of the 33 states ratifying the amend-ment
ERA died for want of nine legislative
votes.
Three votes would have prevented it from '
being tabled in the North Carolina Senate.
Four vote switches would have brought victory
in the Oklahoma Senate. Twice it was defeated
by two votes in the Florida Senate. It won a
majority in Illinois, but there a three- fift- hs
vote is required.
The defeat of ERA was almost single- handedl- y
the work of one woman, Phyllis Schlafly,
an Alton, Bl., housewife and lawyer.
The ERA was roaring toward approval no
one considered' it offensive until Schlafly
took out after it in her monthly newsletter.
Her newsletter was circulated among Okla-homa
legislators, and that state became the
first to reject ERA.'
Organizing her Eagle Forum, Schlafly blan-keted
the nation testifying at legislative hear-ings
against ERA. She stopped the ratification
drive dead in its tracks.
On Jan. 24, 1977, Indiana became the 35th
and last state to ratify ERA. Congress ex-tended
the original March 22, 1979, deadline for
ratification to June 30, 1882. ' On June 30, Eagle Forum is holding a party
to " celebrate" the death of ERA. The party
will feature a veritable " who's who" of the
" new right"
On July 1, feminist groups will stage rallies
to launch a new ratification drive.
Reps. Margaret Heckler, R- Ma- ss., and Pat-ricia
Schroeder, D- Col- o., who head the Con--.
gressional Caucus for Women's Issues, and
Rep. Don Edwards, D- Cal- if., sponsor of the
amendment a decade ago, have said they will
reintroduce ERA and start the process all over
But it is unlikely a new ERA could get the
two- third- s approval needed in the Republican- controlle- d
Senate.
Eleanor Smeal, who as president of the Na-tional
Organization for Women has been rais-ing
about $ 1.3 million a month this year for the
ERA ratification battle, said NOW will contin-ue
the fight. The immediate goal will be to de-feat
legislators in November who voted
against ERA.
" You are creating a climate of injustice that
will make all women seek to replace you," Ms.
Smeal warned Illinois House Speaker George
- Ryan, who engineered the death of ERA in that
state.
But even in defeat, supporters believe the 10- ye- ar
ratification drive has had a major impact
on the role of women in America.
" We have learned so much in 10years" that
simply is not going to be lost" said Dorothy
. Ridings, head of the League of Women Voters.
I
today
Noon Woodhaven Bell Choir
concert, Ninth and Walnut
free.
4 p. m. Columbia Civic Band
concert Nifong Park, free.
7: 36 p. m. " A Midsummers
Night's Dream," Maplewood
Barn Community Theater, Ni-fong
Park.
Index Business . 7A
Classified - 3-
- tB
Comics CA
Opinion 4A
People .......... - ..... SA
Sports 1-- 2B